Thursday, July 15, 2010
my tweet about twitter
I don't "do" Twitter, though from what I hear from previous MACers, I can expect to have an a account up and running shortly. :) Though I don't really feel like other people are interested in hearing what I'm doing at every minute of every day, I do think that a good use for Twitter is to use it as a means to share information and get feedback from peers. As Ferguson pointed out, its a great way to have on-going conversations amongst your personal learning network. What better way to challenge your own thoughts than to put them out there for your peers to read and provide their own feedback? I feel like that something about the impersonal nature Twitter/Facebook/blogging etc. makes people more likely to state what they really think, as opposed to a classroom setting in which you have to confront others face to face. We need to be careful, though, to not let students rely on their "tweets" as the only way to express themselves, but build their confidence and encourage them to share their ideas with their peers in person.
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Yes, Hillary, I can confirm that rumor about Twitter. But you are welcome to Twitter anonymously if you like. Having taught theatre and run a library, both jobs for which I was the only person in my building who did so, and that you are likely to be in a similar position as a languages teacher, I can say that having some stimulation/support/new ideas from someone who does what I do is really powerful. Keep us posted with what you think!
ReplyDeleteHillary,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a very good point in your post about the benefits of sites like Twitter: they are impersonal, and because posting on Twitter does not involve face-to-face contact, some people who may otherwise be shy may speak up and make their voices heard. That's one of the things I really enjoy about the blogging assignment for this class, actually: I am usually a fairly shy person, but I can write all these thoughts and comments fearlessly in the comfort of my own room. And the instant feedback of Twitter (especially if a user has a large network) seems like it would be pretty neat, too. I am actually getting excited to start using it in class.
-Stephanie
Hillary, I too am not a twitterer, or tweeter, or whatever you call it, maybe I don't know enough about the process, but from what I do understand it just seems weird to me. Here's to having our minds changed!
ReplyDeleteJulia
I enjoy your positivism, Hillary. And what's really great is that you are positive all the time! It's very refreshing.
ReplyDeleteIt is now after class; we have set up our Twitter accounts, and I still don't know exactly how useful tweeting will be. I'm going to give it some sustained effort, though. See you in the Twittersphere.